It happened to us and it could happen to you. You could be just minding your own business in Boulder and by chance run into one of your best gun-toting buddies and then find yourself heading home with a frozen pheasant riding in the passenger seat. A lovely gesture, for sure. But what to do with this tiny morsel of upland fowl? After much consternation and consultation, we rejected the idea of grilling the bird and went for the oldest-school recipe of all: coq au vin. This classic French stew is designed to take the tough out of an old chicken, so it works perfectly with ultra-lean pheasant, which needs a little saucing. Serve over a pile of rich mashed potatoes.
Coq au vin, but with pheasant
Adapted from “The Food of France,” by Sarah Woodward. The main difference is that we substituted pheasant for the chicken, and omitted the step in which the chicken is browned in melted butter. Pheasant has next to no fat, so browning it makes the bird come up tough and dry. In testing the recipe, we also added chopped parsnips and carrots for a little sweetness and color. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 2 pheasants, each cut into four pieces (about 4 pounds)
- 1 bottle good quality red wine
- Bouquet garni of fresh thyme, parsley stalks and bay leaves, tied together so you can fish it out at the end
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 pound smoked bacon, chopped into pieces and blanched for 1 minute
- 2 tablespoons Cognac or other brandy
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 16 small onions or 8 shallots
- Sea salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 3/4 pound small white mushrooms
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions
Marinate the pheasant pieces in the wine, herbs, plenty of pepper and the olive oil in a glass or earthenware bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours – overnight is ideal.
When you are ready to cook the stew, lift the pheasant from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Strain the marinade, retaining the bouquet garni, and warm in a pan over a gentle heat. Take one-third of the butter and melt over medium heat in a Dutch oven, in which you will also cook the coq au vin. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the blanched bacon to the melted butter and cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly.
Place the pheasant in the pot. Gently heat the Cognac in a metal ladle, and using a kitchen match – and keeping your face away – light the brandy and pour it over the pheasant. When the flames die down, shake the pot and then add the flour and stir well. Cook for another few minutes, then add the hot marinade, adding the retained bouquet garni and the garlic. Bring to a slow simmer, cover and transfer to the oven.
The pheasant needs to cook for one hour, which gives you time to prepare the remaining vegetables. Peel the onions or shallots. Heat another third of the butter in a heavy pan and add the shallots, sprinkled with some salt and the sugar. Cook gently, turning regularly, until browned all over, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Wash mushrooms and pat dry. If they are large, cut them in half. Melt the remaining butter in the same pan in which you cooked the shallots, add the mushrooms, the lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt and cook until the juices run, about 5 minutes. Set aside, keeping the juices.
After the bird has cooked for an hour, add the browned shallots and stir well. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes, then add the cooked mushrooms and stir well. Cook for another 20 minutes.
You can serve immediately, although coq au vin is at its best if it is cooked a few hours in advance of serving and then reheated.
